Scottish Executive

Access for Disabled People

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the development of physically accessible public transport.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is committed to an accessible public transport system and we will work with public transport providers and others to improve access to services and facilities across Scotland. We have established the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland to advise ministers on a wide range of accessible transport issues.

Climate Change

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to further reduce climate change gases to meet the EU’s overall Kyoto target of 8% below 1990 levels.

Allan Wilson: The UK share of the EU Kyoto target is a 12.5% reduction in 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 2008-12. The Executive is working in partnership with the UK Government to meet this commitment and latest projections suggest that the UK is well on course to achieve, and is likely to exceed, the required emissions reductions.

  Through the European Climate Change Programme, Community-wide measures such as the proposed Community greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme, are being introduced to assist the EU as a whole to meet its Kyoto obligations.

Food

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that consumers of vitamin and mineral supplements are currently inadequately protected by food safety legislation.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the independent expert group (the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals, EVM) was set up to examine the available evidence and advise on controls for ensuring the safety of vitamin and mineral supplements sold under food law. The EVM published a draft report for consultation on 29 August 2002 and expects to agree its final report by May 2003.

Food

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has with regard to the EC directive on food supplements, given the impact on availability and choice for consumers and on the trading environment for businesses.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the directive will not immediately outlaw any products already on the UK market. Its future impact on consumer choice and on businesses will depend on developments on additions to the permitted lists of vitamin and mineral sources and establishment of maximum limits for vitamins and minerals.

  The Executive intends to take full advantage of the provision in the directive which enables member states to allow, subject to certain criteria being met, the continued sale of products containing vitamin and mineral sources not yet on the permitted lists up until 31 December 2009. The Food Standards Agency continues to press the case for maximum limits to be set at levels which protect public health but do not necessarily restrict consumer choice.

General Practitioners

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed overhaul of GP services will impact on patient care in rural areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The new General Medical Services contract is currently with GPs for consideration and will only go ahead if GPs vote yes in a ballot arranged for late March/early April.

  If the result of the ballot is favourable, then all patients, regardless of their location, will have access to the benefits of the new arrangements. They will receive as a bare minimum the full range of services they currently receive.

  Specifically the contract will allow for an assessment of the patient’s experience of the services received from their GP practice, with the results contributing to the income received by the practice, thus creating incentives for improvements in responding to patients’ needs. The contract will also deliver expanded choice for patients in accessing GP services; improved quality of outcomes; improved access; greater investment in GP practice premises and practices’ IT infrastructure, and resourcing based on a fair assessment of the health needs of each practice population. This will take into account the additional costs of delivering care in remote and rural areas. Additional support will also be available to practices in remote and rural areas through a range of salaried and non-salaried options for GP practices, with more flexible working and employment arrangements to help practices respond to the specific needs of patients in such areas.

Hepatitis

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) diagnosed with and (b) estimated to have hepatitis C in each of the last five years, showing any percentage increase or decrease in each year, broken down by NHS board area, expressed per capita and, where possible, differentiating between drug users and others.

Malcolm Chisholm: Figures detailing the number of hepatitis C diagnoses, by year across Scotland from 1991, are published on the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health website - www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scieh/ .

  The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme Report, published in August 2000, estimated that 35,000 people in Scotland could be infected with the hepatitis C virus.

Housing

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33579 by Ms Margaret Curran on 6 February 2003, how many empty local authority houses have been brought back into use under the Empty Homes Initiative.

Ms Margaret Curran: In total the Empty Homes Initiative (EHI) has so far brought back into use 1,318 empty properties for use by those in housing need. Local authorities took the lead in developing EHI projects often in partnership with Registered Social Landlords. No separate breakdown is available for the number of local authority houses that have been brought back into use.

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested in local authority housing stock in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire council area in each year since 1999.

Ms Margaret Curran: Audited returns from local authorities show the amounts invested by Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire Councils in their housing stock. The following table shows this investment, which is made up of usable capital receipts, capital funded from current revenue and Housing Revenue Account borrowing consent.

  Investment in Local Authority Housing Stock

  


Local Authority 
  

1999-2000
(£ Million) 
  

2000-01
(£ Million) 
  

2001-02
(£ Million) 
  

2002-03 (Estimate)
(£ Million) 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

4.270 
  

3.175 
  

3.248 
  

3.351 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

8.405 
  

8.234 
  

7.995 
  

7.207

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested by Communities Scotland and its predecessor in housing association stock in the (a) Argyll and Bute Council area, (b) West Dunbartonshire Council area and (c) Dumbarton parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  Out-turn expenditure, new and improved units and completed units for the years 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 for the West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute local authority areas and also for the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency are detailed in the following tables.

  Dumbarton Constituency

  

 

1999-2000
(£ Million) 
  

2000-01
(£ Million) 
  

2001-02
(£ Million) 
  



Expenditure 
  

2.828 
  

4.336 
  

3.920 
  



New/Improved Unit Approvals 
  

139 
  

 99 
  

55 
  



Completions 
  

49 
  

139 
  

108 
  



  West Dunbartonshire Council

  

 

1999-2000
(£ Million) 
  

2000-01
(£ Million) 
  

2001-02
(£ Million) 
  



Expenditure 
  

6.035 
  

9.048 
  

10.486 
  



New/Improved Unit Approvals 
  

284 
  

252 
  

 55 
  



Completions 
  

 87 
  

214 
  

236 
  



  Argyll and Bute Council

  

 

1999-2000
(£ Million) 
  

2000-01
(£ Million) 
  

2001-02
(£ Million) 
  



Expenditure 
  

5.653 
  

4.435 
  

4.126 
  



New/Improved Unit Approvals 
  

127 
  

77 
  

70 
  



Completions 
  

53 
  

151 
  

 96"

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what each local authority's housing rent levels have been in each year since 1997, showing any year on year percentage increases and the overall increase between 1997 and 2003.

Des McNulty: Local authority rent levels between 1997-98 and 2002-03 are shown in the table. Information regarding percentage increases were provided in the answer to question S1W-30547 on 8 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

  

 

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  



Aberdeen City Council 
  

27.71 
  

33.09 
  

33.06 
  

34.77 
  

36.48 
  

38.27 
  



Aberdeenshire Council 
  

29.65 
  

30.73 
  

31.80 
  

32.62 
  

34.45 
  

36.43 
  



Angus Council 
  

25.12 
  

27.22 
  

28.70 
  

30.58 
  

33.60 
  

35.07 
  



Argyll and Bute Council 
  

35.60 
  

36.41 
  

36.45 
  

37.70 
  

39.39 
  

40.96 
  



Clackmannanshire Council 
  

29.54 
  

30.74 
  

31.56 
  

32.16 
  

34.71 
  

37.36 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Council 
  

32.86 
  

32.96 
  

34.38 
  

35.30 
  

37.14 
  

38.92 
  



Dundee City Council 
  

36.31 
  

37.68 
  

38.65 
  

39.52 
  

40.41 
  

42.16 
  



East Ayrshire Council 
  

26.62 
  

28.34 
  

30.46 
  

34.24 
  

35.48 
  

36.89 
  



East Dunbartonshire Council 
  

31.98 
  

32.78 
  

34.30 
  

36.65 
  

38.09 
  

40.00 
  



East Lothian Council 
  

28.75 
  

29.97 
  

31.74 
  

32.73 
  

34.19 
  

35.22 
  



East Renfrewshire Council 
  

28.32 
  

31.02 
  

32.61 
  

34.84 
  

35.83 
  

38.68 
  



Edinburgh Council, City of 
  

44.19 
  

45.65 
  

45.69 
  

46.02 
  

45.91 
  

47.09 
  



Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan 
  

36.33 
  

37.31 
  

38.28 
  

39.27 
  

41.38 
  

43.02 
  



Falkirk Council 
  

29.47 
  

30.92 
  

32.08 
  

35.40 
  

37.01 
  

39.65 
  



Fife Council 
  

30.09 
  

31.13 
  

32.84 
  

34.04 
  

34.93 
  

37.09 
  



Glasgow City Council 
  

39.93 
  

42.61 
  

44.10 
  

45.71 
  

47.33 
  

48.46 
  



Highland Council 
  

38.83 
  

40.58 
  

41.18 
  

42.46 
  

43.11 
  

44.44 
  



Inverclyde Council 
  

34.55 
  

38.67 
  

40.08 
  

42.22 
  

44.51 
  

46.81 
  



Midlothian Council 
  

25.22 
  

27.44 
  

27.23 
  

28.62 
  

31.29 
  

31.38 
  



Moray Council 
  

28.05 
  

28.70 
  

29.50 
  

30.19 
  

31.12 
  

32.00 
  



North Ayrshire Council 
  

30.42 
  

31.21 
  

31.10 
  

32.79 
  

33.26 
  

34.99 
  



North Lanarkshire Council 
  

31.13 
  

33.07 
  

34.68 
  

37.16 
  

38.78 
  

40.52 
  



Orkney Islands Council 
  

33.70 
  

34.39 
  

34.21 
  

34.54 
  

36.05 
  

37.00 
  



Perth and Kinross Council 
  

28.85 
  

29.97 
  

30.80 
  

31.90 
  

33.27 
  

33.59 
  



Renfrewshire Council 
  

32.28 
  

34.43 
  

35.94 
  

38.60 
  

38.66 
  

42.12 
  



Scottish Borders Council 
  

29.49 
  

30.92 
  

31.71 
  

33.53 
  

34.87 
  

N/A 
  



Shetland Islands Council 
  

36.12 
  

38.99 
  

42.88 
  

45.95 
  

45.97 
  

48.30 
  



South Ayrshire Council 
  

32.80 
  

34.58 
  

34.42 
  

34.70 
  

36.16 
  

37.47 
  



South Lanarkshire Council 
  

35.26 
  

37.47 
  

38.13 
  

39.40 
  

40.18 
  

41.04 
  



Stirling Council 
  

33.47 
  

33.44 
  

34.86 
  

36.42 
  

37.34 
  

38.25 
  



West Dunbartonshire Council 
  

33.23 
  

34.28 
  

34.07 
  

35.74 
  

37.44 
  

38.53 
  



West Lothian Council 
  

31.67 
  

34.18 
  

34.32 
  

37.32 
  

38.62 
  

43.47 
  



Scotland 
  

33.54 
  

35.54 
  

36.84 
  

38.05 
  

39.30 
  

41.02

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2506 by Mr Jack McConnell on 11 November 1999, how much of the Scottish block is administered by non-departmental public bodies in the current financial year and what the comparable figures were for 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Mr Andy Kerr: Spending plans for non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) as a share of total managed expenditure is as shown in the following table:

  

 

2000-01
(£ Million) 
  

2001-02
(£ Million) 
  

2002-03
(£ Million) 
  



NDPBs 
  

2,109 
  

2,138 
  

2,120 
  



Total Managed Expenditure 
  

17,997 
  

19,893 
  

21,098 
  



% 
  

12 
  

11 
  

10 
  



  In order to provide comparable information, the information given is drawn from stage 1 of the Budget Process for each of the relevant years.

Regeneration

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been available for grants for urban renewal in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following has been made available in the way of capital grants for urban renewal in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

  Grants for Urban Renewal (2001-02 and 2002-03)

  

 

2001-02
(£ Million)
Actual Expenditure 
  

2002-03
(£ Million)
Approved Budget 
  



Communities Scotland – Development Programme - Capital 
  Grants 
  

163 
  

158 
  



New Housing Partnership Programme 
  

35 
  

20

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of printing, publishing and distributing Nurturing Wealth Creation: A Report by the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group .

Iain Gray: The costs of printing, publishing, including conversion for web publication, and distributing Nurturing Wealth Creation: A Report by the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group  amounted to £4,843.86.

Social Inclusion

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27964 by Hugh Henry on 5 September 2002, whether each local authority listed has now (a) set up registers of interest for Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) board members and (b) made all such registers available for public scrutiny.

Ms Margaret Curran: Eleven of the 17 authorities listed in the answer to question S1W-27964 have confirmed that registers of interest for SIP board members are in place and available for public scrutiny.

  Fife and Inverclyde councils are at an advanced stage in preparing registers of interest and plan to make these available for public scrutiny pending ratification by board members.

  The following six authorities have not yet set up registers of interest:

  Argyll and Bute

  East Renfrewshire

  Perth and Kinross

  Renfrewshire

  Scottish Borders

  Stirling

  It is expected that these authorities will have registers in place by 1 April 2003.

Social Inclusion

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27648 by Hugh Henry on 22 August 2002, whether the review by Communities Scotland of financial procedures and practices in relation to the Social Inclusion Partnership programme has been completed and, if it is not, when it will be completed.

Ms Margaret Curran: Communities Scotland assumed responsibility for the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund from 1 November 2001. An initial review of procedures to ensure that the programme was incorporated effectively into the agency systems has now been completed. General financial procedures and practices in relation to the Social Inclusion Partnership programme are kept under constant review.

Social Inclusion

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the administration costs for Social Inclusion Partnerships in Glasgow were in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Up to 2.5% of the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund allocation in any year may be used to meet administration costs incurred by the grant recipient. £446,859 was claimed in 2001-02 for administering the Social Inclusion Partnerships in Glasgow (including Castlemilk). Figures for 2002-03 are not yet available.

Sport

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on sports facilities and activities for students (a) with and (b) without disabilities in higher and further education institutions in each of the last three years.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally. Further and higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and are themselves responsible for the provision of facilities for students.

Voluntary Sector

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to help any voluntary organisations, such as Glasgow and West of Scotland Society for the Blind, that have experienced a reduction in income from funders due to the recent fall in the value of investment income.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has no plans to provide additional funding across the board to voluntary organisations disadvantaged by reductions in investment income.

  However, the current Strategic Funding Review aims to identify the current scale and pattern of public sector funding to the sector and will examine the scope for improving its availability, effectiveness and sustainability in the long term.

Waste Management

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what will be funded by the (a) £6.0, (b) £8.3 and (c) £6.8 million for related waste initiatives announced in its spending proposals for 2003-06, with particular regard to its Do a Little, Change a Lot campaign.

Ross Finnie: Several waste-related initiatives will be funded by these resources. £2 million, £1.5 million and £1.5 million was allocated for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to carry forward implementation of the National Waste Strategy and improved waste regulation. However, this allocation forms only part of the increased resources provided for SEPA and this funding is not ring-fenced.

  £0, £1 million and £1 million has been allocated for a capital grant scheme to support businesses investing in recycling and reprocessing. Details of the scheme have still to be finalised.

  £0, £1.8 million and £1.8 million has been allocated for waste minimisation, recycling and market development initiatives, details of which are still to be finalised.

  £4 million, £4 million and £2.5 million has been allocated to local authorities to cover new burdens relating to the handling and disposal of fridges and hazardous wastes as part of the overall local government funding package. However, this funding is not ring-fenced for these purposes.

  The funding for the Executive’s Do a Little, Change a Lot campaign is not included in these totals. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32870 on 7 February 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Expenditure

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer how much has been spent on providing free food and refreshments to MSPs and parliamentary staff in each of the last four years.

Sir David Steel: Details of annual spend by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and a brief explanation of the costs are outlined below.

  Costs for the supply of tea, coffee, bottled water and fresh fruit during plenary sessions, and sandwiches occasionally provided for late business are as follows:

  


Year 
  

Spend
(£000) 
  



1999-2000 
  

4.3 
  



2000-01 
  

4.8 
  



2001-02 
  

6.9 
  



2002-03 
  

6.6 (to end Jan 2003) 
  



  In addition, members, parliamentary staff and other invited groups of people attend committees and other parliamentary business including functions. The total cost for these, including invited guests, has been:

  


Year 
  

Spend
(£000) 
  



1999-2000 
  

7.5 
  



2000-01 
  

18.4 
  



2001-02 
  

42.4 
  



2002-03 
  

29.4 (to end Jan 2003)